2018 20 Under 40 People to Watch
Entering its sixth year, the 20 Under 40 People to Watch continues to showcase the rising stars of our community. They are proof that age is just a number and that anything can be achieved with the right mindset, a positive attitude and a never-say-never approach.
33, associate attorney with the Law Offices of David A. Torres
Graduating from Stockdale High School in 2002, Alekxia Torres Stallings’ goal was to leave Bakersfield.
She attended UC Irvine, studying at Sorbonne University in Paris for a summer, and taught English in Shenzhen in the Guangdong Province of China for a year after graduating. During her time there, she contemplated whether to go to medical school or law school.
But after witnessing the culture in China and how women were treated, she knew that law was the direction she wanted to go.
“I knew at that moment that I wanted to help what would be the greater good,” she said. “Obviously, being a doctor you’re saving lives, but sometimes maybe fighting for injustices helps the masses a little bit more.”
Torres Stallings returned from China, studied for the LSAT and was accepted to the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan where she did an accelerated program and finished in two years. When came back to Bakersfield, she met her future husband, Brandon Stallings, while clerking for the district attorney’s office. After passing the bar, Torres Stallings started working for her father’s law firm.
Torres Stallings’ focus outside of work has always been geared toward youths, whether it’s coaching mock trial at Stockdale High School – a team she did not make as a student but helped guide to state during her first and fourth year as coach – or volunteering her time to assist those in need but cannot afford an attorney.
As the chair of the Young Lawyers Association of the Kern County Bar Association, Torres Stallings helped organize Project Street Youth, a clinic for homeless individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 where local lawyers volunteered their time to assist with immigration, family law, criminal law, Social Security and more. The one-day event had over 25 young lawyers volunteer – more than the number of individuals served.
“I was really lucky how I grew up. I felt like I had so many role models all around,” she said. “I just know that’s not the case for everyone. I just want to make sure that if we’re just there to inspire one person, even tangentially, that it’s there.”
26, clothing designer and owner of A. Shay
Amanda Shaffer says she’s never been “as broke” as she is now, but that doesn’t faze her because she is able to chase her passion and build something in her hometown.
Born and raised in Bakersfield, Shaffer moved to San Francisco at the age of 20, studying apparel design at San Francisco State. After graduating, she traveled across Europe for three months, visiting Iceland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Croatia.
She returned to Bakersfield at 25 years old with no plans on staying long-term.
But then she saw what was taking place locally, particularly in the downtown area.
“That’s kind of why I chose to stay,” Shaffer said. “I saw an opportunity and was like, ‘You know what, I will never get this opportunity (elsewhere).’”
Shaffer launched A. Shay – a play on the pronunciation of her first syllables of her first and last name – last year with the goal of making women’s clothing that fits a wide range of body types. Shaffer uses her clothing as a way to encourage and empower women. She embroiders “little messages” in the clothes she makes to provide a pick-me-up to the wearer when needed.
“I want them to feel confident,” she said.
Shaffer is also working to bring local creatives together. With the help of Jocelyn Dimaya, the duo launched Kern Creative, an organization that hosts workshops, displays work and provides opportunities for individuals to meet others for potential collaborations in the future.
“I think that with all the different movements that are happening, I just see more creativity coming out,” Shaffer said. “I think that started with First Friday and now Second Saturday. There’s just so many different events and the culture I think is changing. I think a lot of millennials are seeing the opportunity. It’s a good time to be in Bakersfield right now.”
26, programs manager for Bike Bakersfield
In 2014, Asha Chandy was exposed to the nonprofit world.
After graduating from UC Irvine with a degree in public health policy and criminology, she joined AmeriCorps and was stationed in Santa Ana, working for a nonprofit clinic where she helped recruit and train volunteers and set up at health fairs. During that time, she learned the value of volunteer work and philanthropy and the addictive nature of seeing people positively impacted by the work she was doing. More importantly, Chandy realized that she would never be content being another cog in the wheel.
“I like to be on the ground level, really seeing the work that people are doing and making an impact directly in the community,” the 26-year-old said.
That mindset led her to become the programs manager for Bike Bakersfield, a local nonprofit that advocates for cycling as a means of everyday transportation, in 2017. As one of only two full-time employees, Chandy has her hands on everything, from organizing events, helping educate the community and promoting safety on the roadways.
Finding meaning in her work is something Chandy values most as a working professional and working for a nonprofit puts her in a unique position where her work directly impacts the community around her.
“What I want in my life is much different than just a paycheck and a pension,” she said. “In the end, I’m happy here and I’m happy doing this type of work where I can really see the fruits of my labor.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m a chicken with its head cut off just running around like a crazy person, but in the end, it feels worth it because I’m not a cog in a system as part of a machine that goes forward. I’m actually an integral component and how I perform directly reflects on the success of the organization.”
Much like the drivetrain on a bicycle.
36, owner/broker at Sage Equities
Austin Smith has a grand vision for downtown Bakersfield – an “18-hour downtown” with a large workforce during the day and vibrant nightlife in the evening that invites visitors from all corners of the city to support and grow the local retail scene.
A crucial piece to that dream is housing.
Since returning to his hometown in 2014, Smith has used his education and experience in urban planning and commercial real estate to bring market rate luxury housing to the downtown area, a dream that came to fruition in 2016 when the 17th Place Townhomes opened. The project was met with skepticism, but those critics were soon silenced when it became clear that there was a demand for urban living that wasn’t readily available before – because few were willing to take the risk of being different.
“I think there is so much opportunity here that we miss because we are stuck in certain mindsets – ‘This is the way it’s always been done and we’re just going to keep doing that,’” Smith said. “As a city, we won’t succeed if we continue to think that way.”
But Smith came to realize that it’s not just about constructing buildings and businesses. For Bakersfield to thrive, its residents must address the perceptions of Bakersfield that are often wrong. A few months ago, Smith and his wife, Anna, partnered with other locals passionate about their city to launch Be in Bakersfield, a grassroots nonprofit that shares the captivating side of Bakersfield while highlighting the talent and opportunities that exist within.
The niche marketing campaign is another way for Smith to help his hometown reach its full potential and give back to a city that allows individuals like him the opportunity to start a business and make a difference in a way that’s not always available in larger metropolitan areas.
“I think it’s just that sense of mission to help our community succeed, because when our community succeeds, we all succeed,” he said. “I think it’s all interconnected. We’re a medium-sized city that will eventually become a large city. We should realize that and embrace growth rather than be afraid of it.”
36, associate attorney with Chain Cohn Stiles
If it were easy, everyone would do it.
That’s the mentality Beatriz Trejo takes with her in all aspects of her life as she looks for ways to challenge herself every step of the way.
That’s why she enjoys CrossFit.
That’s why she went to law school, despite working a job she enjoyed at CSU Northridge, where she earned her master’s in political science.
Trejo attended law school at the University of Akron in Ohio and moved back to Bakersfield the day after graduation in 2011, starting her career as a workers’ compensation defense attorney for Hanna Brophy.
Despite working hard for her clients, Trejo felt her personality was better-suited toward protecting and advocating for injured workers rather than their employers. In 2015, she joined Chain Cohn Stiles as an associate attorney representing injured workers in workers’ compensation claims.
“An injury goes beyond a person,” she said. “It affects their entire family, and I don’t take that lightly.”
Trejo is driven by the fact that she has been on the other side and knows the benefits that can be negated to injured workers, so she strives not only to serve her clients to the best of her ability, but to educate other attorneys so they, too, can do the same.
“As far as what is motivating me, I think there is a true, true desire to help my clients and the community,” she said.
Trejo is involved with numerous local organizations, most notably, being a member of the planning committee for Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center’s Kern County Cancer Run/Walk, a cause that’s near and dear to her heart because her dad passed away of cancer in 2016 and her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer six months later.
“I’ve been a family member of someone who’s been diagnosed with cancer and I know how it feels and I know how much support is needed to get through something like that,” she said. “I very much understand that situation and feel like it’s happened to me and now it’s my turn to give back.”
31, instrumental music director at Independence High School
At 23 years old, David Green was given the keys to the band room by the assistant principal of Independence High School. Walking through the building and seeing everything for the first time was intimidating for the school’s new instrumental music director who was tasked with building a music program for a 2-year-old school.
Later that afternoon, Green went to talk with, Doug Kelley, who was the band director at Centennial High School when Green was a student. Green told Kelley he wanted to have a band program as good as his to which Kelley told him: “No. You need to have a band program that’s better.”
Those words stuck with Green, who recently finished his eighth year at Independence High School, where he has taken full advantage of the opportunity to build something in his hometown.
“The job has been able to grow with me,” he said.
Green knew he wanted to be a band director when he was 15 after Kelley told him that’s what he was meant to be. The lessons and opportunities he passes on to his students go far beyond music.
Sports often get credit for helping build character and teaching work ethic, yet only a certain number of players can take the field at any given time. In band, the whole team performs.
“My marching band has 150 first-string players,” Green said. “There is no bench, there is no second string, there are no subs. Each student has a role and there’s literally no one else who can do that specific role because it’s so individualized.
“That reach and responsibility teaches so much more than music. You really are that important. You’re only as strong as your weakest player and that transformative power empowers people to get better. It gives them opportunities for growth and progress that maybe in another activity or sport, they wouldn’t have that access because there’s someone else that’s better. It creates a sense of community, too. It’s massively fulfilling to invest in students and to see it pay off.”
26, director of development for Kern County Museum
At 26 years old, Grace Martin is often one of the youngest, if not the youngest, people at the table.
But don’t let her age fool you. She’s earned her way to become Kern County Museum’s director of development and she doesn’t shy away from the responsibilities her position entails.
“I’ve always been proud to put in the effort,” she said. “Everything is so competitive nowadays and talking only gets you so far. You actually have to do the work and put in the effort; it’s not just going to come to you if you just sit there. That’s probably one of the main things that my mentors have shown me. That and to be kind to people.”
Not afraid to voice her opinion, Martin uses her youth to her advantage, bringing a fresh perspective that freshens conversations and allows a different viewpoint. From her parents, Robert and Connie Martin, to Linda Ruusk at UC Santa Barbara during Grace’s college days, to Kern County Museum Executive Director Mike McCoy, Grace’s mentors have provided her guidance while still allowing her the opportunity to be herself and make sure her voice is heard, something she’s adopted into her own management and leadership style.
“Millennials are a huge generation and we’re not going anywhere,” she said. “We’re going to inherit this town and this community and the country. Our opinion matters and (it’s important) that we’re listened to.”
Despite the demands of her job, Grace still finds time to get involved, whether it’s with St. Francis Parish, the Leadership Bakersfield advisory council, the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County or the numerous nonprofits that hold events on the Kern County Museum grounds.
“This town has given me a lot, so it feels good to be able to give back even a little bit to the community,” she said.
36, director of development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County and director of project management & events with Studio 4Forty
As the director of project management & events for Studio 4Forty, Heather Frank has flown to a hundred cities across the country, working with over 300 different nonprofits and raising $30 million.
But her favorite flight is always home.
Moving to Bakersfield in 1999 was a shock to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, native who’d never driven on a freeway before. The city opened her eyes to what a diverse community looks and feels like.
“I loved it from the moment I got down here,” Frank said. “I realized I was meant to not be a small-town girl, but kind of have some wings and fly a little bit.”
Frank was introduced to the nonprofit world through Studio 4Forty, where she helped bring Wine, Women & Shoes to Kern County. She also helped bring Farm to Tableaux to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County. As the director of development for the Boys & Girls Club, she’s working to get the organization “back on the platform it deserves in Kern County.”
“Kids are near and dear to my heart,” said Frank, who thought she wanted to be a teacher at one point in her life. “I love our teachers and I admire them so much for the work they do, but I found a way to support them in a way that works for me – that’s to go out there and give every child the resources to be successful.”
With two kids of her own, 6-year-old Gavin and 8-year-old Greysen, Frank is showing them through action, not words, what it takes to be driven, passionate, hardworking and how to give others opportunity.
“My 6-year-old came with a Mother’s Day gift last year and on it said, ‘I love my mom because she helps other people who need help,’ and I thought that shows you he is learning by watching,” she said.
36, CEO of Varner Bros. Inc.
From a young age, Jacob Panero knew he wanted to be a garbageman.
His father was a garbageman as was his grandfather and Panero felt like it was his calling.
Working in garbage is respectable, honorable work and an opportunity to directly help the community by keeping it clean for current and future generations.
“What I consider these hardworking, honorable professions like oil and gas and refuse, recycling – if you aren’t doing it, people aren’t able to eat,” he said. “The world doesn’t go round. If you don’t have boots on the ground doing things day in and day out, you don’t get fed.”
Working for Varner Bros. Inc. for 16 years, Panero has done it all. Starting from the bottom as a part-timer, he cleaned equipment before becoming a driver. He eventually moved up the ladder and became chief operating officer in 2008 prior to being named chief executive officer three years ago.
While his days are mostly spent behind a desk, he never forgets where he came from. He even misses it.
“If they’d let me, I’d go work on trucks all day,” Panero said.
Panero’s commitment to serving is reflective of his faith. In addition to the roles he takes to help out his church, Vanguard Bible Church, he is also on the executive board for the Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, a member of the CSUB Foundation and the John Brock Committee, president of the North Bakersfield Rotary Foundation and past-president of North Bakersfield Rotary.
“I’m a Christian and I believe you’re working for God, not others,” Panero said. “If you continue to focus on the Lord and make sure you’re putting his motives before your own and putting the savior before yourself, you will be doing his will. We’re not going to make it out alive, but it’s important to be a good example for him and, of course, I would rather not let my family and community down.
“If we’re exemplifying the love of the savior, this community will be a better place.”
38, endocrinologist with Kern Endocrine Center
Above Dr. Jasleen Duggal’s desk at Kern Endocrine Center are thank-you cards from patients she has treated. It is a gratifying reminder that her contributions to the community are appreciated and a constant motivator that drives her to push forward in her mission to make Kern County healthier.
Kern County’s high incident rate of diabetes and obesity is what drew Duggal to the area in 2011. The endocrinologist works with patients with hormonal disorders, such as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, thyroid disorder, pituitary disorder, adrenal disorder and more.
“When I walked in here in 2011, I was confronted with a challenge of improving health in a county which is listed as one of the highest counties with incidents of diabetes, obesity and a lot of other endocrine issues and I was ready to take on the challenge,” Duggal said. “With God’s grace and the support of my family, I was able to set up a practice where people can have access to care.”
In the past seven years, Duggal has helped patients regain control of their lives by educating, encouraging and implementing healthy lifestyle changes that not only improve their quality of life, but increase life expectancy, meaning children have their parents around longer and are being taught healthy eating habits at an early age.
“Healthy eating starts at home,” Duggal said.
A substantial amount of Duggal’s patients have been able to get their hemoglobin A1c under control. Hemoglobin A1c is a lab parameter that tracks a patient’s average glucose levels over a three-month period.
“When the patient walks into my office for the first time, it is quite striking that they have no idea what hemoglobin A1c means, so I educate them, spend time with them explaining how important it is and by using all those novel therapies that we have for Type 2 diabetes now, I’ve been able to bring the A1c down, along with weight loss.
“What really fills my heart with joy is that I’ve made a difference in people’s lives by helping them lose weight. I think, overall, that’s where I really feel I make a greater contribution.”
29, project architect with Ordiz-Melby Architects Inc.
Walking through the halls of an elementary school wrapping up construction is surreal to Joseph Zasoski.
He’d spent the better part of two years working 3D models and doing virtual walkthroughs and as the project nears completion, he’s able to see something that was once a concept in his mind in the real world.
Knowing who will eventually populate the building is another factor Zasoski keeps in mind throughout the process.
“You look at schools that are old or not designed well, sometimes that inhibits a student’s ability to learn,” the project architect said. “It’s nice to know that I’m having an impact in that regard, even though it might not be an active, firsthand influence.”
Zasoski was born and raised in Bakersfield, attending Highland High School and going to USC where he did a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program. He interned with Ordiz-Melby Architects Inc. in Bakersfield in 2011 and upon graduation, he was offered a job.
From there, he took it upon himself to become a licensed architect as fast as he could, studying countless hours during his free time.
“I think as far as I’m aware, at 29 to be a licensed architect is a very substantial accomplishment and I’m very humbled that I was able to do it so young,” Zasoski said. “Most architects aren’t licensed until their mid- to late-30s.”
Zasoski’s work has been in education and includes the addition of a new gymnasium at North High School, which is the Kern High School District’s largest in capacity.
“Thousands of students will come through that gym,” he said. “I think that, at least as far as the projects I’ve been involved on, that was kind of cool.”
Outside the office, Zasoski is involved with the Italian Catholic Federation, which has a branch in Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The nonprofit works to generate funds throughout the year to donate to charity.
“If you’re in a position where you’re afforded time in your free time to help people, it’s an admirable position to take,” he said. “Ultimately, it makes for a better community.”
35, owner of Rio Acai Bowls, Lights Camera Action Cinema and The Beacon Studios
Justin Cummings has always stayed busy.
After graduating from Wasco High School in 2001, his days consisted of working at UPS in Bakersfield from 5 to 9 a.m., attending classes at CSU Bakersfield for eight hours, then driving back to Wasco to work at Burger King.
He eventually worked his way up to a UPS driver but back and neck issues left him wondering how long he could continue that line of work.
That’s when he started looking at the things he was naturally passionate about and trying to make money from it.
The first was a dot-com selling Brazilian jujitsu gear that led to a physical store near Bakersfield High School in 2014. The next venture introduced Bakersfield to acai, when he partnered with a friend to start a mobile food truck that eventually led to a business spanning four locations and over 30 employees. Then, he started a videography and photography business, something he admits he’d do for free because he enjoys it so much.
“I feel like I’ve been doing this for a decade, but it’s only been three years,” the owner of Rio Acai Bowls, Lights Camera Action Cinema and The Beacon Studios said.
From there, Cummings has used the platforms he’s known for as a way to give back. Rio Acai Bowls and LCA Cinema are often seen at community events helping raise funds and awareness to local causes, like Go Red for Women and CSU Bakersfield.
“A lot of people know who we are and if people see the organizations we support, it gets the talk going,” Cummings said. “It starts to educate people on that.”
A father of a mixed family of nine, Cummings’ biggest motivators are the people he goes home to every night.
“For me, the biggest drive is the family – being able to give them everything they want,” he said. “It’s unbelievable that I can support my family with the businesses that I started. It’s unbelievable that I get paid to (do things I love).”
36, founder and CEO of March Consulting
To march is to move forward with a sense of purpose and direction.
The month of March is when college acceptance letters are sent out.
So when Kat Clowes started a business aimed at equipping students to live the lives they want to live by getting them into the college that’s right for them, calling it March Consulting just made sense.
Clowes graduated from Highland High School and went to Santa Clara University before returning to Bakersfield in 2005. When she was a teenager, she couldn’t get far enough away from Bakersfield. But when she left for college and started working, she started noticing the positives in the city she grew up in.
“I found out different viewpoints and got to discover more about myself and my roots by leaving,” Clowes said. “That’s why I advocate that with a lot of my students – go away, figure out who you are, see the world and then bring those ideas back and improve things here.”
Her approach helps combat “brain drain,” the departure of educated or experienced people from a city for better career opportunities elsewhere. But the first step is helping those individuals figure out what they want to do and where they need to go to pursue it.
“Because everything is increasingly competitive and under a microscope, kids more than ever need a little more guidance,” Clowes said. “Especially from someone who’s been there. We know their anxieties, we know their fears, we know their questions because we’ve had the same exact ones.”
Clowes and her consultants guide students through the application process and help them find the right college and career to fit their unique personalities and individual interests – alleviating the pressures, confusion and worry that come with higher education.
“My personality has always been trying to turn around and bring somebody else up the ladder as much as you can,” Clowes said. “I find that high school students are very impressionable and you give them a little nudge in one direction and they’ll go. They just need that direction.”
30, lead pastor Wellspring Free Methodist Church and co-founder of the Junia Project
For Kate Wallace Nunneley, success is finding the things you’re passionate about and having the courage to step out and do them.
That’s what led to the establishment of Wellspring, Bakersfield’s only Free Methodist church, and The Junia Project.
In 2016, one year after moving to Bakersfield with her husband, Leif, Nunneley started dreaming about a Free Methodist church in Bakersfield. She started brainstorming with Josh Fitzpatrick, who was in Texas at the time, and eventually made their dream a reality when Wellspring held its first service on Palm Sunday in 2017 at the Bakersfield Racquet Club.
“Our dream is to be downtown and we fell in love with this group of people that are all trying to revitalize downtown and all of these people who have great visions for Bakersfield and love Bakersfield,” Nunneley said.
The Junia Project is a website and blog Nunneley started with her mom, Gail Wallace, that educates people on egalitarian theology, which holds that men and women are equal.
The name is inspired by Junia, a female apostle who at one point was changed to Junias to sound male because some believed that a woman could not be an apostle.
“We thought that her journey was symbolic for a lot of women in church – that they can be strong women outside of the church but once they come in, they’re supposed to know their place,” Nunneley said. “Or that they can be Christian women in the church, but out of the church, they’re really not seen as much because of their faith.”
Encouraging and empowering women of all ages is something Nunneley strongly believes in because it is necessary to combat the negative messages that women are exposed to through social media, the internet and the real world.
“I just think women need to be reminded of the value that they simply have for being who they are,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to be yourself. You’re enough the way you are.”
39, morning weather forecast for KGET-TV 17
Kevin Charette wears many hats.
The first is as the morning weather forecaster for KGET-TV 17, where he arrives at the studio around 3:30 a.m. every day and doesn’t leave until 12:30 p.m. Another is as the co-founder of Thumbs Up, Cancer Down, a nonprofit he started with his husband, Cody Brutlag, that helps individuals battling cancer by offering encouragement through thumbs-up images shared around the world and providing care packages called “Thumbs Up Power Up Packs.” The third hat he wears is a literal one, coaching youth baseball. The last hat is as the emcee of numerous events throughout the community.
It’s a generous serving on the plate of someone who took the values his parents taught him to a city he’s called home for the past 13 years.
“That’s how I was raised,” said Charette, who grew up in Longview, Washington, and worked at Medford, Oregon, and Las Vegas before coming to Bakersfield in 2005. “They said, ‘Once you get out into the big world, why don’t you take the values we taught you and spread those on to whatever city that you become a part of?”
A local celebrity, Charette has used his position to draw awareness to and benefit various causes and organizations.
After moving to Bakersfield, Charette hit the ground running, joining the boards of the Ronald McDonald House, Kern County Sheriff’s Activities League, Kern Literacy Council and League of Dreams. But after two friends were diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Charette and Brutlag took a more hands-on approach, starting a campaign asking people to show their support by sending thumbs-up photos, marking the start of Thumbs Up, Cancer Down.
“If you’re blessed with good health and somebody has fallen on hard times, you should give that gift and do what you can,” Charette said. “I have never even broken a bone in my life so I’m very fortunate to be healthy. I think that’s only the right thing to do.
“There’s not a day that I look back and think, “I think I just need to hang my hat on this.’ It’s all very rewarding.”
36, manager of communications and public relations for Kern Medical
Miranda Whitworth Munoz may have been raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, but she grew up in Bakersfield.
Young love brought her to California from Salt Lake City, Utah, at 19 years old and even when things didn’t work out the way she’d hoped, she’s always managed to land on her feet.
“Bakersfield has always been good to me,” she said. “I’ve always had friends here, I’ve always had a job here, I’ve always been able to do really interesting things here. Any sort of dream I had as a kid, even as far-fetched as it felt, I was able to do here.”
Whitworth Munoz has been Bakersfield’s “renaissance media lady” for many years, working for Clear Channel Radio, then KBAK/KBFX, all while freelancing for The Bakersfield Californian and Bakersfield Life Magazine before transitioning to marketing and public relations, first with Kern Federal Credit Union and now with Kern Medical.
“Bakersfield provides,” Whitworth Munoz said. “If you are ambitious and you are smart and you’re nice, you can make your way here. I’ve had a lot of different lives here but they’ve all been successful.”
Whitworth Munoz has used her experience and success to help local community organizations along the way, like the North of the River Chamber of Commerce, Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Village Fest and even political campaigns, like the one that got Andrae Gonzales elected as a Bakersfield city councilman representing Ward 2.
“It takes a lot of people doing different things to make a community successful,” Whitworth Munoz said, adding that there’s no better use of one’s time than volunteering.
A beneficiary of “untold amounts of people’s goodwill” when she was younger, Whitworth Munoz strives to pay it forward while helping improve the city she calls home.
“Home is where you can be you and I’ve been able to really be myself and blossom here in Bakersfield,” she said.
35, clinic director for Pair Marotta Physical Therapy
Sitting in the Navy recruiter’s office at the ripe age of 17, Paul Caudillo weighed his options.
He played around with the idea of becoming an infantryman, a sniper, even a Navy SEAL. He then realized that search and rescue spoke more to him than search and destroy.
He wanted to save lives.
That led him to become a search and rescue swimmer and member of HS-4 Black Knights, a multirole combat helicopter squadron deployed aboard aircraft carriers.
Now the clinical director for Pair Marotta Physical Therapy, Caudillo is still rescuing people.
“I’m a physical therapist by trade, but I’m still rescuing people from surgeries, I’m rescuing people from opioid addictions, I’m rescuing people from all kinds of pain medications and invasive procedures,” he said.
After the Navy, Caudillo enrolled at CSU Bakersfield and studied kinesiology and exercise science before attending the doctoral program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah.
He returned to Bakersfield in 2013 and was later presented with an opportunity to open a clinic in south Bakersfield whose demographic was in need of physical therapy. The clinic has seen over 16,000 patients since it opened its doors Nov. 14, 2016.
The potential for upward mobility in Bakersfield was contributing factor in Caudillo’s decision to work in his hometown instead of bigger cities like San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco.
“You’re kind of a small fish in a very big pond (in those cities),” he said. “I’m from this town, I went to high school here, I know a lot of people. I knew that this was going to be my place to network and grow.”
The biggest thing Caudillo enjoys most about the work he does is helping others, a continuation of his duties from his military days. While the conditions may be different, the results are very much the same.
“I think the biggest gratifying thing for me is being able to help people get back to what they love to do,” he said. “I get to see that every day.”
36, human resources manager for the city of Arvin
When Paven Gill moved to Los Angeles, she felt like she achieved a life goal: to get out of Bakersfield.
During that time, she bought a house in Calabasas, got married and had a daughter. It wasn’t until she had a family of her own that she realized she was spending so much time commuting, which was time she could have spent with her family. The desire for a closer-knit community grew and Bakersfield answered the call.
“I had the perfect house in the perfect little city,” Gill said. “It was beautiful, but that was just where we lived. I’d be commuting to work, so during the workweek, I was on the road every day and then on the weekend, I’d want my daughter to be with family and so we’d drive to Bakersfield. We bought this perfect house (in Calabasas) but life was sort of (in Bakersfield). We very intentionally came back and it’s been the best move for our family.”
Gill soon landed a “dream job” as the human resources manager for the city of Arvin, which gave her the opportunity to build a program from the ground up. The city holds a special place in her heart because her parents had a business there when she was growing up and her sister got married on the city golf course. No longer having to spend hours in a car each week, Gill is now able to spend more time with her family and give back to the community.
Gill’s parents raised her with a strong sense of social activism, which she is passing on to her daughter. For her birthday, Gill would throw her a party, but on the actual birthday, they would host a meal at the homeless shelter with her nephews and nieces. After seeing the impact it had on the kids, it turned into an annual event.
“There’s so many things that you can do and it’s all about finding something that you’re passionate about and figuring out how you can give back to make this a great place to raise families,” Gill said.
38, owner of Going Underground Records
Before Myspace, YouTube and Spotify, there was Going Underground Records.
Opened in September 2001 by Bakersfield native Ronald Ramirez, the store existed during a time in which the way the world listened to music was changing. Cassettes were on a rapid decline, CDs were the media of choice for most listeners and the iPod was still a few years away.
Music has always been a big part of Ramirez’s life, going back to when he was a child and his mom would take him to record stores in different cities. It planted a seed that would lead him to start a record store of his own in his hometown.
“I never thought to leave Bakersfield,” Ramirez said. “Not that I couldn’t, I just didn’t want to. I love the city and I like being a part of the city. That was my mindset: I’m going to make this happen and it just happened to work.”
Ramirez’s mentality was different from others his age who craved life in bigger cities. But he saw Bakersfield as a place where people can make opportunities for themselves that may not be available elsewhere.
“People leaving drains a lot of potential culture from our community,” he said. “It’s always sad to see bright, young thriving kids leave. It’s good to stay around.”
Not only has Going Underground Records weathered the rise and fall of Napster, the mass adoption of MP3 players and the emergence of music streaming services, it has thrived and expanded, opening a second location in Los Angeles – a rare occurrence where something originates in Bakersfield and makes its way to a big city. Throughout the years, Ramirez’s store stayed true to its identity, specializing in vinyl during a time when vinyl wasn’t trending and “trending” wasn’t a common term, by doing what it does best: sell records.
“(Vinyl is) trending and it’s fine,” Ramirez said. “That’s what we’re here for. We were here before and we’re going to be here when it’s done. It comes down to playing music and enjoying the music.”
38, partner at Keathley, Maxwell & Antongiovanni LLP, co-founder of Temblor Brewing Company, founder of Obeah Records, partner in Going Underground Records Los Angeles, partner in The Gentlemen
Temblor Brewing Company, The Gentleman, Obeah Records, Going Underground Records Los Angeles.
They all have one thing in common: Tom Maxwell.
The product of someone chasing his passions, Maxwell has found ways turn the things he enjoys into businesses.
“I’ve worked for a lot of years and I’m passionate about certain things and when I get an opportunity to do something where I get to have fun doing something I’m passionate about but also have it be a business and share it with other people, that’s what really drives me,” he said.
Graduating from the University of San Diego in 2002 and becoming a CPA in 2004, Maxwell moved back to Bakersfield with his wife, who wanted to be closer to family. He initially worked for CBIZ before joining Keathley, Maxwell & Antongiovanni LLP in 2008 where he is now a partner.
“The accounting company has really afforded me the opportunity to do all these other projects and I want to continue to grow the number of projects,” Maxwell said. “I’m not going to stop. I like working on a team environments and figuring out where I fit into a group and how I can help. That’s really been great because I’ve met so many good people, worked in business with so many great people and I want to continue to do that. I want to have a collection of companies that maybe I’m involved with on some level. It’s fun coming up with ideas of how you can actually execute something and that’s what I’m passionate about.”
It’s an unexpected turn for someone who had no plans on moving back to Bakersfield after he left nearly 20 years ago. But after living in San Diego and traveling across the country and Europe, Maxwell started to realize how great his hometown really is. Now, he’s heavily invested in increasing the number of amenities it has for its residents.
“I used to tell people I’m from California when I met them,” Maxwell said. “Now I proudly say I’m from Bakersfield.”
Entering its sixth year, Bakersfield Life Magazine’s 20 Under 40 People to Watch shines the spotlight on outstanding young professionals who make the community a better place. They were honored during a ceremony at The Petroleum Club June 28.
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